To Myself on My 32nd Birthday

Mums and newborn me

Today is Easter (Hallelujah!), so from past experience I’ve decided to postpone celebrating my burfday until Monday (when my party will be, anyway). My birthday was on Easter five years ago and I realized then how “Christmas babies” must feel every single year: Christian holidays are the Lord’s day, and it’s challenging to celebrate them simultaneously with a mere mortal’s day of birth. With all that being said, I feel very blessed to be turning 32 today. I may not be where I thought I’d be at this point in my life, but I’m happy with the place I’m in–spiritually, mentally, and physically. Besides my bum knee which has been giving me trouble; I’d gladly trade that in for another one!

I got some good advice from a friend a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to share. This lovely young lady from my hometown also gave me some great advice last year, and I’ve thanked her both times for sharing her insight. I was discussing a scenario that’s been weighing heavily on my mind for the last month or so, and she messaged me the following simple, yet profound, statement: “Don’t let anyone steal your joy.” It seems simple enough, right? But it’s not; as humans, there’s a big part of us that wants/craves/needs approval from others. But when that need for approval gets in the way of living your own life–taking risks for the betterment of yourself, getting out of a rut and starting anew in a new place with a new lease on life–it’s time to cut ties with those who don’t support you whole-heartedly. As Dr. Seuss said, “Those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter.” (I know I’ve quoted that before, but it’s so true that it’s worth repeating.) At the end of the day, no one is living your own unique, fulfilled, blessed life but you. I hate to quote Oprah (really, I hate to quote her), but she put it well when she challenged her viewers to, “Live your best life.” Others can say what they want, but only you can live for you day in and day out. That’s what I’ve learned at the age of 32…not at age 13 or 23, but 32.

I want to close with two more quotes. One is from yours truly from a Facebook note dated November 19, 2010. It was one of those “20 Questions” notes that was being passed around. #2 on the list was the following: ” I’d love to live and work in Las Vegas before I die, but I’d hate to know I had to get on a plane to visit home.” I ran across that quote last week and realized it still holds very true. The other quote is from Dame Elizabeth Taylor: “”You are who you are. All you can do in this world is help others to be who they are and better themselves and those around them.”

Happy Easter to everyone–put aside the plastic Easter eggs (is it just me, or do those things get cheaper and more tawdry every year?) and remember the real reason for the celebration! And then come Monday, I’ll be celebrating my burfday and all the blessings I’ve experienced in the last year. Until next time, thanks for reading my ramblings.